Victor Mair and Tansen Sen have provided an account of China’s engagement with the Eurasian world around it that is succinct, accessible, and masterful. They demonstrate how—from their Neolithic origins through Zheng He’s fifteenth century voyages across maritime Asia—the Chinese were constantly interacting with their neighbors, through warfare, diplomacy, religious pilgrimages, trade, the accounts of travelers, and the translation of foreign books. These interactions, which are treated both topically and chronologically, are interwoven with a historical narrative and handsomely supported by illustrations, maps, translated travel accounts, and a glossary. This is a valuable addition to the literature on Chinese history in a global context.
About the author
TANSEN SEN is Associate Professor of Asian History and Religions at Baruch College, The City University of New York. His area of research focuses on India-China interactions, Indian Ocean trade, and the Chinese community in India. He is the author of Buddhism, Diplomacy, and Trade: The Realignment of Sino-Indian Relations, 600–1400 (University of Hawai’i Press, 2003).VICTOR H. MAIR is Professor of Chinese Language and Literature at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a specialist on medieval vernacular Buddhist literature and, for the last two decades, has led an international team of scholars and archaeologists investigating the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age mummies of the Tarim Basin. His publications include two edited books, Secrets of the Silk Road (Santa Ana: Bowers Museum, 2010) and, with Mark Bender, The Columbia Anthology of Chinese Folk and Popular Literature (New York: Columbia University Press, 2011).
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